Town of Minerva dealing with vandalism

Minerva  During the Thursday, April 18 Minerva Town Board meeting, Supervisor Sue Montgomery Corey discussed several recent instances of vandalism that the town has experienced.

Corey has been proactive in filing detailed reports with the New York State Police. The first incident occurred a month ago when some person or persons attempted to use a trash can to have a fire on the beach. Several holes were punched into it, and garbage was scattered across the beach.

Two weeks ago, the concession stand was broken into and damaged. The back window was smashed out, and several cartons of home fries and other items were stolen. In addition, a bucket of water was found inside. It was possibly used to allow the perpetrators to use the toilet while they were in the concession stand. In addition, a corner of the change house was spray painted orange, and a campfire was built next to the beehive drain at the junction of the parking lot and the beach area. The wood used for the campfire may have been stolen from the Highway Department.

The most recent incident occurred this past Saturday. Someone blew doughnuts in the grass adjacent to the little league field in Brannon Park. The large ruts that were carved into the ground will need to be fixed.

Corey said the State Police have been helpful. Patrols of the beach, park areas, and other targeted areas may be increased. If anyone has information about any these incidents, they are encouraged to contact the supervisor at 251-2869.

In other news at the meeting, Corey made a motion to adopt a resolution, which was not seconded, to authorize Minerva to request that its share of the sales tax collected by Essex County be returned to the town. Councilman Dave LaBar asked for more information about the county warrants that the sales tax monies are currently used to buy down.